German Offenlegungsschrift (application published without examination) No. 33 07 070 discloses an electromagnetic actuator for operating a component, particularly a cylinder valve of an internal-combustion engine. The actuator has an armature which may be reciprocated back and forth between two electromagnets by magnetic forces against oppositely oriented resetting springs. The actuator system is designed in such a manner that in case the electromagnets are in a de-energized state, the armature, urged by the oppositely acting resetting springs, assumes a position between the two pole faces. In such a known system it is assumed that the two resetting springs are identical in their geometry, especially as concerns their length in a relaxed state and their spring curve. The purpose of such an identical arrangement is to ensure that essentially identical magnetic forces are needed for attracting and holding the armature at the respective pole faces and that essentially identical spring forces are present first, for accelerating the armature when its leaves the respective pole face and second, for braking the armature when it approaches the respective opposite pole face. Such springs are conventionally compression coil springs. In a mass manufacture of such coil springs, however, it is not feasible to make identical springs in sufficient quantities at an acceptable cost.